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is there a draft in the USA ?

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  • 01-06-2007 3:06pm
    #1
    jackdaw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭


    is there a draft in the USA now ?
    I am sure there isn't i have lived there, but a guy i work with insists
    his brother was forced to go to Iraq..
    I think this is bullsh*t , surely you have to sign up to the US Army/ military to
    actually go ??

    AFAIK the draft in the US ended after the Vietnam war ??

    anyone confirm / deny this ?


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    #2
    jhegarty
    Registered Users Posts: 6,440 ✭✭✭jhegarty


    jackdaw wrote:
    is there a draft in the USA now ?
    I am sure there isn't i have lived there, but a guy i work with insists
    his brother was forced to go to Iraq..
    I think this is bullsh*t , surely you have to sign up to the US Army/ military to
    actually go ??

    AFAIK the draft in the US ended after the Vietnam war ??

    anyone confirm / deny this ?

    there is a draft ,as in you have to register... but its not active , no one is made sign up for duty....it has not been active since the 70s....


    Anyone going to Iraq has signed up to the Army/Navy/Marines/Air Force or Reserves on there own accord....


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    #3
    WellyJ
    Registered Users Posts: 2,420 ✭✭✭WellyJ


    If for some reason they ran out of volunteers I would bet the forced draft would be back


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    #4
    cushtac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,253 ✭✭✭cushtac


    jackdaw wrote:
    I am sure there isn't i have lived there, but a guy i work with insists his brother was forced to go to Iraq.

    His brother must then be either in the reserve/national guard or must have served & is still on the books (the American equivilant of our first line reserve, when you leave active service you are still liable to be recalled for so many years after discharge).


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    #5
    arybvtcw0eolkf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24,878 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    Chicago is known as 'The Windy city', I think there's a draft there :D


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    #6
    Manic Moran
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,411 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manic Moran


    jackdaw wrote:
    is there a draft in the USA now ?

    No.
    I think this is bullsh*t , surely you have to sign up to the US Army/ military to actually go ??

    Unless you're a private contractor, but otherwise, yes, you have to be on the military's books.
    AFAIK the draft in the US ended after the Vietnam war ??

    Before the end of the Vietnam war, actually. It is still mandatory to sign onto the Selective Service register, which is the list of names from which the Draft would be initiated. (Although technically it would be a call-up of the Unorganised Militia). However, nobody has been picked from Selective Service since the early 70s.
    anyone confirm / deny this ?

    Cush probably has hit the nail on the head. I'll lay dollars to cents the man's in the IRR.

    It's written right there on the contract, and is pretty hard to miss, but when you sign on to the US military, you're theirs for eight years. The differences between terms of enlistment (usually three years and six years) is simply the amount of time spent on active duty. If you sign on for a three-year-hitch, you're returned to the civilian world after three, but remain a member of the Individual Ready Reserve for a further five years after that, even though there is no need to attend training and it is an unpaid status.

    Commissioned Officers are a different breed. Unless the commission is resigned and accepted (as opposed to just getting out of the Army), the commission remains valid and you can be recalled at any time. Rarely happens, though.

    NTM


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